No. 33. Coffee in Berlin

The exact quote is : “No coffee…No water?” It’s from the movie- Coffee in Berlin.

I watched this movie twice with a few months in-between. Both times I had the same reaction…You know when you are feeling down and you think your life sucks …well just watch this movie and you will instantly change your mind and think your life is hunky -dory !  Niko is in his early 20’s living mindlessly in Berlin. His father thought he was in college for law and is rudely shocked to find a year has  passed and he’s still hasn’t  seen any grades…so he promptly cuts out financing  his son’s aimless lifestyle.  Niko starts the morning just wanting a cup of coffee but somehow he also breaks up with his girlfriend. His ATM card gets chewed …a coffee machine is broken…and then he remembers he’s late for a very important appointment. To get his license back after a DUI.  He needs to meet with the state psychologist. Today the man is messing with him . He asks questions like: was he gay?  Did his small stature make him feel insecure? Questions about his parents and why he dropped out of law school? Niko  stays silent…all he wants is his license. So the Psychologist gets irritated and stamps him as Unstable . Dejected and angry now he really wants a cup of coffee…He orders his coffee promptly  in a coffee shop with too many items and a overly- talkative barista…only to find he doesn’t have enough money so the barista pours it out right in front of him. He hooks up with his Dad tries to order a cup of black coffee…only to be stopped because there wasn’t enough time…Again tries to order in the club after the avante- guarde  show only to find out he can’t because the machine has already been cleaned. Can the day get any worse? In a bar on the way home he talks and helps a friendly  old man to the hospital so he can  die. …Luckily for Niko this day has ended. In the diner the next morning he’s able to find his salvation…AH ….COFFEE …. This is Jan Ole Gerster’s debut film created for the German Film and Television Academy.  Spoken in German with English subtitles. Filmed in Black and white with a jazzy soundtrack in the background. Well worth the watch.

Please Note: Director and screenplay is by Jan Ole Gerster. Producers: Marcos Kantis, Martin Lehwald, and Michael Pokorny.  Music Box Films. Released in 2012.